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Losing a beloved cat is devastating. While there are commonalities in how we mourn, grief is a very individual experience, and no two people will deal with loss in exactly the same way. But there are some things that can help ease the pain of loss. Finding ways to memorialize a cat who has passed on can be an important part of the healing process. Continue Reading
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In addition to her custom pet portraits and other artwork, Bernadette Kazmarski has been crafting and designing unique gift items since childhood. About a decade ago, when she began selling gift items in addition to her portraits at cat shows and other events, she began with versions of the custom crochet items, keepsake boxes and tote bags she’d made for others to stock her table, then moved on to the gift items she saw in stores, like gift bags and tiles and garden flags with artwork, devising ways to imprint her artwork and create a durable handmade gift.Continue Reading
Losing a cat is difficult any time of the year, but when it happens during the holidays, it can complicate your grieving process. I lost Ruby two years ago, a week before Christmas. Buckley died the day after Thanksgiving 2008. As a result, I’ve been through several difficult holiday seasons. Continue Reading
Losing a cat can be devastating, and many cat parents are unprepared for the depth and intensity of the grief they’re experiencing. I have shared a wealth of resources on this site to help you cope with losing a cat over the years. Today, I’d like to share a resource I recently came across: VetVine® offers virtual pet loss support groups for pet parents.Continue Reading
Children often experience death and grief for the first time when a beloved pet dies. Helping children through pet loss can be challenging for parents who are also coping with their own reaction to the loss. In Five Trees for Mina, Tony Lovitt sets out to help young readers and their parents deal with losing a pet.Continue Reading
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You’ve come to know Sarah Chauncey through her compassionate writing about loss and grief here on The Conscious Cat over the past few years. After her heart-cat Hedda died in 2016, she wrote P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna, a beautifully illustrated and healing gift book which is available for pre-order now.Continue Reading
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I’ve been excited about P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna since I first heard about this first illustrated gift book for adults who are grieving the loss of cat. Really helpful books about pet loss are few and far between. While there are plenty of books and websites out there that offer support, ultimately, grief is a solitary journey. No book or website can do it for you.Continue Reading
Guest post by Sarah Chauncey
This is the third post in a three-part series. I’ve previously written about how veterinarians are handling euthanasia during COVID-19 and ways you can take care of yourself during this time. In this post, I’ll look at some options for reaching out for support during a time when nearly all of us are keeping physical distance.Continue Reading
Guest post by Sarah Chauncey
This is the second post in a three-part series. In the first post, l looked at how veterinarians are handling euthanasia during COVID-19.
Losing a beloved companion is a difficult experience at any time, but several factors come together to make it particularly devastating during COVID-19. From veterinarians handling euthanasias differently than usual to physical distancing requirements that keep us from hugging each other, circumstances are coming together that intensify the isolation many guardians feel after a loss even under normal circumstances. In addition, there is so much grief and loss in the world right now, and we’re all feeling some of that—loss of routine and familiarity, economic uncertainty, concern about loved ones, and of course, for many people, the loss of human loved ones to this awful disease. This collective grief weighs heavily on all of us and can make grieving the loss of a pet during COVID-19 even more challenging.Continue Reading
Guest post by Ingrid R. Niesman, MS PhD
Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) appears out of nowhere and leaves families heartbroken and bewildered. Cats affected are typically kittens less than a year old or young cats just gaining a foothold on maturity.
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, the relentless mention of the word “coronavirus” in the media can be emotionally challenging for those who lost a cat to FIP.Continue Reading
Making a decision about whether or when the time is right for euthanasia is one of the hardest things a cat parent will ever go through. Unlike human medicine, veterinary medicine offers the option of gently ending suffering when there seems to be no hope for recovery. However, making this decision for a beloved cat can be agonizing.Continue Reading